The Veil Nebula Complexin Mapped Color

About This Photograph

The Veil Nebula is what remains of a star that exploded thousands of years ago. It is located some 2,500 light years from Earth in the constellation of Cygnus, the Swan. Expanding sheets and filaments of gas stretch across roughly 100 light years of interstellar space. In our sky, the Veil is huge — nearly four full-moon widths across.

In this image, special filters were used to isolate light emitted by specific elements in the nebula. Red represents sulphur, green indicates hydrogen, and blue highlights oxygen emission. Click here to see an image of just the hydrogen emission.

Technical Details

Optics:

Takahashi FSQ-106N.

Mount:

Astro-Physics AP1200GTO.

Camera:

STL-11000XM.

Filters:

Custom Scientific 5nm [SII], H-alpha, [OIII].

Dates/Times:

12-14 July 2004.

Location:

my backyard observatory in Austin, Texas.

Exposure Details:

SII:Ha:OIII = 2.0:7.25:2.25 hours (15-minute individual exposures). The luminance channel is a blend of all three emission images.